Static Routing Configuration – Step By Step

Guide
In this post, we will discuss the basics of routing, the difference between dynamic and static
routing, and how to perform static routing configuration.

Introducing Routing
Routing is a process that builds the routing table on a router. A packet transmitting within the
same subnet does not require any routing information to reach its destination. However, if a
packet is transmitting from one subnet to another subnet, it requires routing information, such
as destination network, subnet mask, and default gateway, to reach its destination.

Dynamic vs Static Routing

There are two methods that can be used to add routing information to a router.

Static Routing

As the name suggest, static routing is configured by an administrator manually. Static routing
does not use any routing algorithm or mechanism to update the routing tables. This method is
more suitable for a small network, where one can easily memorize all the routes information.
Since static routing does allow automatic route updates, hence, it is considered more secure
than the dynamic routing.

Dynamic Routing

Suppose a network topology that contains 30 routers and each router have multiple subnets.
How one can memorize which network is connected to which router and what gateway is
required for which network. This is a really very tough task. Here, comes dynamic routing
comes as a solution for this. Dynamic routing is typically configured with the help of
protocols called routing protocols. Since dynamic routing updates routing information
between routers automatically, hence, it is more suitable for a large network. In addition, it is
less time-consuming than the static routing. However, dynamic routing consumes more
resources, such as CPU, memory, and bandwidth than the static routing.

Static Routing Configuration: Step by Step

Before you can configure static routing, you should know the syntax of theIP route command
that is used to configure static routing. The syntax of the ip route command as follows:

Router(config)#ip route <destination network> <subnet mask> <exit interface

or default gateway>

Once you have learned and understood what is static routing? let’s see how to configure
static routing. To configure static routing, we will use the following topology. If you are using
a simulator, such as Cisco Packet Tracer, create the following topology in Cisco Packet
Tracer and configure the IP addresses on routers and PCs as mentioned in the topology.

In the preceding topology, on Router0, we need to add the network(s) that are not connected
directly (20.0.0.0/8). To do this, execute the following command on Router0.

Router0(config)#ip route 20.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 192.168.1.2

Similarly, on Router1 add the 10.0.0./8 network using the ip route command.

Router1(config)#ip route 10.0.0.1 255.0.0.0 192.168.1.1

Once you have executed the preceding commands on both the routers, verify the routing table
by executing the show ip route command.
In the preceding figure, you can see that the 20.0.0.0/8 network is added on Router0 through
the static routing. Now, you can use the ping command to check the connectivity between
devices in the network topology.

In this post, we have discussed what is static routing and how to configure it (static routing
configuration). Now, move to the next posts and learn how to configure dynamic routing
using the routing protocols.
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 Also read: Configure RIP routing – step by step guide.